Device for collecting turns of rod or wire

ABSTRACT

The device is for collecting runs of rod or wire to form coils after for instance the finishing stand of a rod mill or a heat treatment line or plant. The device has inner centering means and outer centering means for the turns to form a dimensionally stable coil, and there is a retractable member in the path of fall of the turns so that the device is divided into an upper collecting zone and a lower collecting zone. The inner centering means is divided so that there is inner centering both in the upper collecting zone and in the lower collecting zone. The upper part of the inner centering means is alternately supportable on the lower part of the inner centering means and upon the retractable member.

United States Patent Geipel et al. 1 Mar. 7, 1972 [54] DEVICE FOR COLLECTING TURNS OF [56] References Cited D R E R0 0 WIR UNITED STATES PATENTS 72 Inventors: Hans Gei I Oberhausen-Sterkrad Al- 1 red i Kw near News; lfelmm 3,l76,385 1/1968 Morgan et al ..29/200 x Huber, Solingen-Wald, all of Germany [7 A gnee sc Alm ngeseuschan D 1 Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager 85] s: maun usse dorf; Huttenwerk Oberhausen Aktien- Anamey flolman and Stem gesellschah, Oberhausen, Germany ABSTRACT 22 F'led: A 11 1970 l 1 l The device is for collecting runs of rod or wire to form coils [2l] Appl- -I 62,971 after for instance the finishing stand of a rod mill or a heat treatment line or plant. The device has inner centering means [30] Foreign Application Priority Data and outer centering means for the turns to form a dimensionally stable coil, and there is a retractable member in the Aug. 6, Germany p of of the turns so that the device is into an upper collecting zone and a lower collecting zone. The inner lll centering meansis divided so that there isinner centering both 58 Field of Search "25550, 200 B, 200 D, 429, in the PW collecting mid the l|ecting 29 20 D The upper part of the inner centering means is alternately supportable on the lower part of the inner centering means and upon the retractable member.

4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTEDHAR 7 I972 3. 646,655

Mow/u IUUYLD DEVICE FOR COLLECTING TURNS OF ROD OR WIRE This invention relates to a device for collecting turns of rod or wire to form coils (coils may be called bundles though the term bundles may also be used to describe coils with ties or straps on them), after for instance continuously working trains of rolls in a rod mill or a heat treatment line or plant. Such devices are known in various forms of construction, and in particular such devices are known which consist, in their fundamental structure, of a guide funnel or cone, outer centering means for the turns of rod or wire, an inner raisable and lowerable centering mandrel and a collecting plate, and in which an intermediate receiver can be introduced into the outer centering device. In one known form of construction (as in U.S. Pat. specification No. 3,176,385) the intermediate receiver is a preliminary collecting plate, which is swung horizontally from the side into the outer centering means. This preliminary collecting plate takes up a given number of turns of rod or wire, the number mostly corresponding to the socalled bar length of the mill train, and collects them into a bundle or part bundle, while at the same time a completed bundle of rod or wire located thereunder upon the collecting plate can be drawn away. Thereupon, the bundle is lowered from the preliminary collecting plate on to the collecting plate, and then or thereupon the centering mandrel can be introduced into the bundle. In this way, it is possible to draw the individual bundles discontinuously away from the device which works continuously according to the demands of for instance the train of rolls or the heat treatment plant. There are however disadvantages, since when pushing away the turns or bundle of rod or wire located upon the preliminary collecting plate, when lowering the turns or bundle on to the collecting plate located thereunder, turning moments are applied to the rod or wire turns and the turns may tilt. The tilting can be reduced by having the diameter of the outer centering device correspondingly large, but this expedient can permit inaccurate bundle formation and there is a risk of the individual turns of the bundle being disarranged, which could give trouble when uncoiling.

In detail, and chronologically, it is to be observed that formerly rolled rod has been regularly reeled into a bundle around a stationary mandrel, or in a rotating basket. The ensuing bundle discharge or pushing-off operation, with braking, pushing off and restarting, blocks the entire device for so long that in order to roll billets as quickly as possible one after the other, each strand of the rod mill has had to be provided with two reels and collecting devices, which are used alternately. However the fanning-out of turns is nowadays more usual. In this case, as compared with the aforementioned devices, turn formation and bundle formation are separated from one another both in space and in time. By this means it becomes possible to use the device continuously, and in this way to obviate the double reel arrangement hitherto used. Since however the finished bundles can only be discharged intermittently, the collecting device (bundle-forming device), if there is only one such device, must be so constructed as to render possible an undisturbed transition from the continuous operation of the collecting device to the intermittent discharge of the bundles. The transition must be effected in steps which are shorter time-wise than the time required to roll a single billet, steps of from 2 to 3 seconds for example. For this, besides the form of construction described above, other solutions, such as exchanging collecting plates (as in U.S. Pat. specification No. l,295,l39), or the sliding of the fanned out turns of rod or wire on to inclined carousel" or turnstile" mandrels (as in U.S. Pat. specification No. 3,222,965) are known. The requisite short changing time of less than 7 seconds cannot however generally be maintained here. It is also known to swing the intermediate or preliminary collecting plates not horizontally but vertically (as in Wire and Wire Products," Volume 36,1961, No. 10, pages 1,333 to 35 and 1,452 to 56). Another possibility for the solution of the problem is to have solely external centering, with preliminary and main collecting chambers (upper and lower collecting zones) consisting of hollow cylinders, which are divisible by means of flaps that can be swung in from the sides. In this case, the previously objectionable sticking of turns can indeed be prevented, but individual turns, since the internal guidance is missing, may become crossed, which leads to trouble. This also applies to another known form of construction (German Gebrauchsmuster No. 6,808,351), in which there is an intermediate receiver formed by carrying arms that can be swung in and out, but in which there is no centering mandrel.

An object of this invention is to provide a device for collecting turns of rod or wire into coils which can ensure the undisturbed collection of fanned out turns of rod or wire into a compact coil which can be unwound (paid off) without further trouble and is of good internal and external shape, and which device can comprise an external centering means for the coil as well as an internal centering means.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for collecting turns of rod or wire and forming them into coils, the device having means (e.g., a plate) forming a lower collecting zone from which the coils are discharged.

means forming an upper collecting zone for holding oncoming turns while a previous coil is discharged, said upper collecting zone forming means comprising at least one retractable member which can be inserted into the path followed by the turns as they fall towards the lower collecting zone,

a raisable and lowerable lower internal centering means for extending up into the center of the coil in the lower collecting zone, and

upper internal centering means for centering the part coil in the upper collecting zone, said upper internal centering means being alternately supportable on said lower internal centering means and upon said retractable member(s).

The invention extends to a method of collecting turns of rod or wire to form a coil carried out using the device of the invention, preferably wherein a substantially complete coil is collected in the upper collecting zone prior to dropping it into the lower collecting zone.

The centering means (whether internal or external) which are referred to herein are for centering the coil The actual turns in the coil will all encompass the axis of the coil, but will normally not be coaxial with the coil, forming a toroid or doughnut shape.

It is highly desirable, but not completely essential, to have external centering means for the turns, in both the upper and lower collecting zones.

The initial turns of rod or wire are collected upon the retractable member(s) and are subsequently deposited, by retracting the retractable member, as a bundle or part bundle, in the lower collecting zone, and the lower internal centering means carries the upper internal centering mandrel means when theretractable member is retracted. Furthermore, when the retractable member has been inserted in said path and carries the upper internal centering means, the lower internal centering means can be lowered prior to discharging the completed bundle. As a result, there can be internal (and external) centering during the whole operation.

In detaiL'within the scope of the invention, there are several possibilities.

There can be a male/female joint between the upper and lower internal centering means, preferably by having a locat ing projection on the top of the lower internal centering means for entering a corresponding recess in the base of the upper internal centering means. The external centering means preferably has a part for centering the bundle being formed in the lower collecting zone, and where the means forming the lower collecting zone is a receivingplate, said part may be mounted on said plate or pass through corresponding apertures in said plate. Said part may be a cylindrical casing or shell which permits the insertion and retraction of the retractable member(s) (e.g., having slots for swinging arms), or in the form of bars. The retractable member(s) and the lower internal centering means are preferably actuable by respective hydraulic or pneumatic rams. The retractable members themselves may be arms which can be swung into said path. The alternating movement of the retractable member(s) and of the lower internal centering means can be controlled by conventional means and such control need not be described in detail. A guide cone can be provided at the top of the device for the initial guidance of the turns.

The device according to the invention can provide troublefree, continuous collection of fanned out turns of rod or wire to form a compact coil, of good internal and external shape, which can be satisfactorily unwound (paid off); in all stages, the work can be done with constant internal centering and external centering. Nevertheless, the finished coils can be discontinuously discharged. In this way, a complete coil can be formed in the upper collecting zone with accurate dimensions and a high density, which coil is then dropped into the lower collecting zone.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic elevation, mainly in vertical section, of a collecting device according to the invention.

The collecting device is for collecting turns of rod or wire into bundles after for instance continuously working trains of rolls in a rod mill or a heat treatment plant. The collecting device consists, fundamentally, of a guide cone 1, external centering means 2a, 2b, an internal raisable and lowerable centering mandrel 3 and a collecting plate 4, there being an intermediate receiver (5) which can be introduced into the external centering means 2a, 2b. Preceding the cone 1 is a conveyor 6 which continuously feeds turns of rod or wire 7 which are collected to form a bundle 8. The intermediate receiver consists of carrying arms 5 that can be swung in and out, while above the carrying arms 5 is arranged a second centering mandrel 9, which is supported alternately upon the carrying arms 5 or upon the raisable and lowerable centering mandrel 3. The raisable and lowerable centering mandrel 3 has a locating projection l0, and the second centering mandrel 9 has a corresponding recess ll. The second centering mandrel 9 can have small recesses in its base corresponding to the shape of the tips of the carrying arms 5, for locating the mandrel 9 correctly on the arms 5. The upper part of the outer centering device 4 can be a cylindrical skirtlike extension to the guide cone 1. The lower part of the outer centering device, for instance in the form of bars 2b, is mounted on a mounting plate 14 and extends through the collecting plate 4. The lower centering mandrel 3 is connected to the mounting plate 14 and is guided through the collecting plate 4. The lower centering mandrel 3 and bars 2b are moved up and down together by a ram 13. The carrying arms 5 are swung in and out by rams 12. The rams l2 and 13 may, for example, be hydraulically actuated. Known controls can be provided for controlling the alternating movement of the arms 5 and lower centering mandrel 3.

The collecting device operates as follows:

By way of a plane conveyor 6, the fanned out turns of wire 7 pass into a preliminary collecting space A which consists of the guide cone 1 and the actual hollow cylindrical external centering device 2a. This preliminary space A is so dimensioned that a complete bundle 8 can be reliably accommodated in its cylindrical portion and that when precollecting the desired part of a bundle or a complete bundle, the turns can be collected to form a uniform and compact bundle. The preliminary collecting space A is closable on its under side by the carrying arms 5. When these carrying arms 5 are in their swung-in condition, the cylindrical upper centering mandrel 9 rests upon them and is coaxial with the outer centering device 20. While the first turns are being collected in the space A (bounded by the upper centering mandrel 9 and the outer centering device 2a), the lower centering mandrel 3 travels in normal operation until its projection 10 enters the recess 11 in the upper centering mandrel 9 and lifts the latter slightly away from the carrying arms 5. As shown in the drawing, the lower centering mandrel 3 has slots in its upper end portion so that the mandrel 3 does not interfere with the end portions of the arms 5.

After the bundle, or the desired part of a bundle, has been formed, the carrying arms 5 are swung from adjacent the space A so that the turns pass down on to the collecting plate 4. By allowing the turns to fall relatively slowly into the lower collecting space B (bounded by the lower centering mandrel 3 and the bars 2b which are arranged coaxially around the mandrel 3 and which in their turn form an external centering device), the preceding speed of transport of the fanned out turns has no influence on the rate of fall of the turns and a compact and uniform bundle can be produced. If the overall height of the collecting space B is too low, this leads to preferred positions for the turns and hence to irregular bundles. After the last turn has passed the plane of the carrying arms 5, the latter swing into the collecting space A, and can there immediately take up the on-coming turns of the next bundle. When the lower centering mandrel 3 sinks, the upper centering mandrel 9 is again supported by the carrying arms 5. When the lower centering mandrel 3 has sunk below the collecting plate 4, the bundle is pushed off the collecting plate 4 in a known manner. When this preliminary operation is over, the upper centering mandrel 9 is again supported by the lower centering mandrel 3, and lifted somewhat from the carrying arms 5. The operation is now repeated.

The divided inner centering means permits constant internal centering of the turns of rod or wire to be collected, and constant external centering is possible and normally desirable. The bundle can be securely bounded both internally and externally, and disturbances due to projecting turns in the collecting device itself or in subsequent devices can be reliably avoided. An entire bundle can be collected in the upper collecting zone, without disturbances occurring owing to change of centering in the succeeding transfer into the lower collecting zone. As the upper collecting zone is not far below the level at which the rod or wire is discharged, the impact of the turns on the retractable member or on the turns already collected is low, and furthermore, there need be no preferred orientation for the turns, giving a compact bundle. Notwithstanding the size of the large collecting zones (each of which can be made to contain a whole bundle), the device can be very compact; owing to the divided inner centering means, the lower inner centering means need only be lowered a relatively short distance below the lower collecting zone for discharging a bundle from the lower collecting zone.

We claim:

1. A device for collecting turns of rod or wire and forming them into coils, the device having means forming a lower collecting zone from which the coils are discharged,

means forming an upper collecting zone for holding oncoming turns while a previous coil is discharged, said upper collecting zone forming means comprising at least one retractable member which can be inserted into the path followed by the turns, as they fall towards the lower collecting zone,

external centering means for the coils or part coils, adjacent both the upper and lower collecting zones,

a raisable and lowerable lower internal centering means for extending up into the center of the coil in the lower collecting zone, and

upper internal centering means for centering the part coil in the upper collecting zone, said upper internal centering means being alternately supportable on said lower internal centering means and upon said retractable member.

2. A device as claimed in claim I, wherein said lower internal centering means has a locating projection on its top and said upper internal centering means has a corresponding recess in its base for receiving said locating projection.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external centering means has a part for centering the coil or part coil in said lower collecting zone, said means forming a lower collecting zone being a receiving plate defining apertures for said part, said part passing through said apertures.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, and having respective rams for actuating said retractable member and said lower internal centering means. 5 

1. A device for collecting turns of rod or wire and forming them into coils, the device having means forming a lower collecting zone from which the coils are discharged, means forming an upper collecting zone for holding oncoming turns while a previous coil is discharged, said upper collecting zone forming means comprising at least one retractable member which can be inserted into the path followed by the turns, as they fall towards the lower collecting zone, external centering means for the coils or part coils, adjacent both the upper and lower collecting zones, a raisable and lowerable lower internal centering means for extending up into the center of the coil in the lower collecting zone, and upper internal centering means for centering the part coil in the upper collecting zone, said upper internal centering means being alternately supportable on said lower internal centering means and upon said retractable member.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower internal centering means has a locating projection on its top and said upper internal centering means has a corresponding recess in its base for receiving said locating projection.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external centering means has a part for centering the coil or part coil in said lower collecting zone, said means forming a lower collecting zone being a receiving plate defining apertures for said part, said part passing through said apertures.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, and having respective rams for actuating said retractable member and said lower internal centering means. 